MAY 12th & 13th 2017, CENTRAL HALL, WESTMINSTER

“The hard questions remain. How do we repair the damage to ourselves, our constitution, and our European friends? How do we rebuild a future with our closest and most important trading partners? The Convention has all the makings of an essential debate.” John le Carré, Spring 2017

Keynote speeches by Akala, Ian McEwan, Jarvis Cocker, , Sindhu Vee, Raoul Martinez and surprise guest speakers DAY ONE MAY 12TH

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR DEMOCRACY

Is politics broken? Media in the post-truth world Why are we having an election? Is this How does the media hold governments to democracy at work, or is it the Establishment account in the world of post-truth politics, “taking back control” and revealing a failing where leaders Tweet their version of the facts system in the process? direct to their supporters? With Jonathan Freedland, Alastair Campbell, With Sonia Sodha, Alan Rusbridger, Anand Menon, Kwasi Kwarteng, Lisa Nandy Harriet Sergeant and David Elstein and Amina Gichinga Bully Britain Can Europe make it? Hate crime has doubled since the referendum. Between the French and German elections Racial and sexist abuse are common online. Europe holds its breath. Renewal and What has happened to us? disintegration are both possible. What does With Rachel Johnson, Caroline Criado-Perez each mean for the UK? and Viv Groskop With Frédéric Martel, Richard Corbett, Charles Grant, Denisa Kostovicova and Timothy Garton Ash The psychology of Hope, Resilience and Defeat Dark New Order: The collision of politics and personality: in a polarised world many feel rejected and Putin, Trump and the rise of depressed. How do they learn hope and far right in Europe resilience? Will liberal democracy successfully With Jay Watts, Eric Kaufmann, fight back? Anthony Barnett, Frances Stonor Saunders With Anne Applebaum, Afua Hirsch and Tim Garton Ash Without science everything is fiction The Economy: the debate Science is one victim of the post-truth world. that affects all our futures With politicians airily dismissing empirical No subject is more hotly disputed than the evidence, scientists fight back. British economy under a hard . With With Ann Pettifor, Alice Enders, Will Hutton, John Mills and Ian Dunt DAY TWO MAY 13TH

WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT OUR DEMOCRACY

The Future of the NHS Our Disunited Kingdom (3): The nation’s favourite institution is already in English Nationalism crisis. Will Brexit add to the NHS’s financial Is English nationalism really the problem when problems and staff shortages? it comes to the Europe and the With Denis Campbell, Stephen Dorrell, threat to the Union? Bob Kerslake and Dr Rachel Clarke With Nick Pearce, Suzanne Moore, Robert Tombs, Peter Frankopan Our Disunited Kingdom (1): Northern Ireland & Scotland How do we reconnect people The threat to the unity of the UK is plain. with their politics? Could ‘remain’ majority in Northern Ireland If democracy is to flourish in the Twenty First ironically be the start to unification? century an answer to this question must be With Fintan O’Toole and Mary Lou McDonald found as a matter of urgency. With Bess Mayhew, Amina Gichinga, A General Election is seen as the precursor Mary Fitzgerald to another independence referendum by the SNP. How long before the Scots go it alone and apply to join the EU? The Constitution The unwritten British Constitution is With Gerry Hassan, Jim Gallagher no longer fit for purpose. and Vonny Moyes With Bob Kerslake, Anthony Barnett, Citizenship and Immigration Helena Kennedy What does the divide between the “somewheres” and the “anywheres” mean for And questions from the British and European citizenship? Convention audience With David Goodhart, Sashy Nathan, Chaired by Andrew Rawnsley of A.C. Grayling and Philippe Legrain The Observer, with Dominic Grieve, Douglas Carswell, Bob Geldof and Tactical voting and the Rachel Johnson digital election With also an Open Forum Will politics be revolutionised by tactical voting and big data? With Paul Hilder, Bess Mayhew

WE LISTEN AS WELL AS SPEAK “Brexit is the defining issue of our times, which has thrown up a huge number of large and agonising questions about how this country should operate. Despite all the apparent scrutiny of politics by the media, there remains a desperate need to ask ourselves what we’re trying to achieve and what the right strategy might be. The Convention on Brexit and the Political Crash promises to be a rare occasion at which a proper discussion can be had and real progress made. There has never been a more important time to get political – and the Convention is the ideal forum to begin.”

Alain de Botton, Spring 2017

PROGRAMME SUBJECT TO CHANGE MORE SPEAKERS TO BE CONFIRMED

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